California is the only state that does NOT provide any personal income tax exemption for Military retirement pay and Military Widow’s Benefit Plan payments. 

As a proud Military retiree and resident of California, I urge you to sign this petition to show your support by requesting California's Governor to patriotically honor California’s Military retirees and Surviving Spouses by providing personal income tax exemption. 

I served in the Navy for 31 years.  During those 31 years, I had 13 deployment, married, and raised a family with 2 sons. Most deployments were 6 months long, but three deployments were 9 months long including 2 back to back 9 month deployments for Desert Shield / Desert Storm. The time between deployments was short, with many days at sea preparing for the next deployment. Bottom line, I was away at sea – away from my family for over half of those 31 years.   Just take a selfie of 31 years of your life, how many significant family events would you have missed if you were gone for half of those 31 years? 

During those deployments, I missed too many firsts and significant family events to list.  Many were joyous, but several were extremely stressful for my family and me.   The events I recall were the ones that caused significant stress to me and my family were: 1 unscheduled deployment requiring a rescheduling of our wedding; another unscheduled deployment, which included 80 days continually at sea with no mail, calling my wife at our first port visit to learn we were going to have a baby; having orders changed one month before execution to a different part of the country, after we had purchased a home in the city of the original orders; receiving a message from the Red Cross that my wife’s recent mammogram was significantly abnormal – wondering what this means; receiving a message from a Navy hospital that my wife was not coping with my deployment while she trying to have my son evaluated for what later was determined to be an operable non-malignant brain tumor, flying home while our son was in the operating room,  traveling full of stress wondering about the outcome of the surgery;  accepting orders for an unaccompanied overseas tour, because the location did not have the facilities to treat my son’s physical condition after the brain tumor surgery. 

After I retired from the Navy, I worked in the private sector for 17 years.  My wife and I made great “real retirement” plans.  Unfortunately, my wife passed away several years after I retired.  And I rapidly learned and now really appreciate all she did for our family while I was deployed. I was truly sad we were separated for so much of our married life and were not able to enjoy our planned retirement. 

When deployed my heart was half a world away, and my family’s hearts were also half a world away.   Sharing your hearts happens every deployment, lasts for months, and gets more difficult with each deployment.  

Yes, deployments were stressful for me, but I can not imagine the stress my family endured always waiting for the unexpected “knock on the door” to learn that she was now a widow and how to tell our sons they no longer had a father and my parents no longer had a son. 

What is a deployment?

Following is from President Biden’s Veterans’ Month Proclamation:  Quote:  Constant tours, deployments, and rotations are difficult for our military families.  Jill and I have personally experienced the anxious pride that parents feel seeing their child in uniform.  We have marveled at the devotion of military families and their resilience to uproot their lives every few years and move to new communities.  We honor the stalwart courage and resolve of veteran families caring for their loved ones when their service in uniform concludes.

To be a veteran or a service member is to have endured and survived challenges most Americans will never know.  To be in the family of one of those proud patriots is to sacrifice more for our country than most Americans will ever give. Unquote

My career is not uncommon and is embodied in the Presidential Proclamation.  Every member of the Military, our families, and Surviving Spouses can tell the same or more horrendous story.  In retirement, our health and mental issues resulting from continual combat and exposure to toxic substances are well reported.  Illnesses include: Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, which should be classified as a disease, not a disorder; Viet Nam veterans suffering from the diseases associated with Agent Orange, and Iraq and Afghanistan veterans suffering from diseases associated with “burn pits.   Every year more diseases causing disabilities are identified.  Our veterans’ families also suffer from increasing stress as they care for their heroes.  Yes, to do our nation’s bidding WE missed so many family events.  We raised our hands volunteering to protect our country.  It is time for California to recognize our sacrifices. 

The military retirees and Surviving Spouses residing in California are no different from the Military retirees and Surviving Spouses residing in the other 49 states and the District of Columbia  These patriotic states and the District of Columbia show gratitude and honor to their Military retirees and Surviving Spouses by granting them personal state income tax relief.  It is time for California to do the same.  

Our Military retirement is earned after 20 years of service, most retirees are in their early to mid-40s.  The Military Widow’s Survivor Benefit plan is either paid for with the servicemember's blood when the servicemember passes away “In the Line of Duty” or purchased by the servicemember upon retirement with benefits paid to the servicemember's Surviving Spouse upon his post-retirement death.

Again, I urge you to sign this petition to show your support by requesting California to patriotically honor California’s Military retirees and Surviving Spouses by providing personal income tax exemption.